Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas, was closed yesterday by a 4 meter salt water crocodile. He didn’t do much, just swam along the beach about 20m from shore. A crowd gathered and watched, that’s about as exciting as the day got. It made me think though, not many people have the experience of sharing their home with these prehistoric giants, the Port Douglas Crocodiles are kinda cool. Yes, they are Salt Water Crocodiles, the dangerous kind and yes they can occasionally be found on Four Mile Beach, but is there really any danger involved in swimming in or around Port Douglas?

Crocodile warning sign on the inlet, Port Douglas. I have seen people swimming just there, seriously!

We see salt water crocodiles in the wild in the Port Douglas area all the time, they are there in the rivers, lakes and streams, we all know about them and yet thousands of tourists and locals swim at the beach all year round. Is it safe? After all, they are Salt Water crocodiles, bit of a clue in the name there!

Crocodile Attacks, Fatalities And Close Encounters in Port Douglas and Queensland

Nobody has been hurt or attacked while swimming at Four Mile Beach in the 5 years I lived there. There was an attack here in 2001, the girl escaped with injuries. I have seen them at the southern end of the beach a couple of times, but they just swim past, minding their own business

A Salt Water Crocodile at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures.

A few years ago, a lady was taking an early morning swim, south of here. It was stinger season, so she wisely chose to swim in the stinger net. As she approached the far end of the net she realized that what she thought was a log was, in fact, a large reptile. I think she got out of there pretty fast, unhurt.

Sadly, there have been 2 crocodile related fatalities in Far North Queensland in the last 5 years, both involved people venturing into rivers that are full of crocs.

There are a couple of great golf courses in Port Douglas, both have water features, both have crocs. I’m sure it takes quite a few golfers by surprise to find the 18th hole obstructed by a large salt water crocodile, but for us, it’s normality. We often take the children for a ride around one of the golf courses to see if we can spot one, it’s rather like my parents taking me for a drive to spot rabbits when I was little, only bigger.

There is a croc at a country club here, a popular wedding venue, he sometimes stars in people’s photos of the big day, best not get too close.

Crocodile near Port Douglas

I know a local electrician who once went to work at an empty property to find a small croc in the swimming pool. That’s rare. I don’t know why it doesn’t happen so much here, you hear about alligators in Florida doing that all the time. All pools have to be fenced here, by law, maybe that keeps them out. Occasionally, in the wet season when we have some flooding you’ll find them strolling down the road, but again, it’s rare. I believe one was found in somebody’s garage once.

I have one slightly scary tale to tell. A friend was living right on the beach not far from here. She built a rope swing so that her son and his friends could swing from the coconut palm and plop into the water at high tide. The boys were delighted and spent the afternoon playing and enjoying the new toy. The next day she went down to the beach and found a very large croc partially submerged, right under the swing. Crocodiles are very clever you see, they watch, wait and learn.

That’s basically all I have to say about our Port Douglas crocodiles. I rather like them, they are a great source of tourist revenue, but you have to be sensible. They have been fully protected in Queensland since 1974 so their numbers are increasing and they are here to stay. I keep the children well away from the banks of any lake or river and exercise extreme caution at the beach. We swim, sometimes, but I try to save it for the days when the water is crystal clear. Salt water crocodile isn’t nice to eat, by the way, it’s farmed for meat and skins, try it, but I wouldn’t recommend it!

Hotels With Good Pools in Port Douglas

Sea Temple, Port Douglas, has the most incredible pool with swim-out appartments. This is just a tiny part of it. It’s my favourite, but QT also has a great pool and is rather more affordable. It doesn’t have Sea Temple’s beach-side location. Check them out, below.

The best way to avoid the crocs is, obviously, to swim safely in a swimming pool. Don’t be put off, you really should come up here to check out our wildlife, it’s quite amazing, Below are a selection of some of the best in Port, each with a swimming pool way above average. We have some outstanding hotels and pools in Port, they’re well worth spending, maybe a little more on. If you’d like a more natural swim, we have a whole heap of fresh water swimming spots nearby, mostly in the rainforest. Places such as Mossman Gorge are considered safe from crocodiles. Read our post on fresh water swimming spots nearby.

Our affiliate links below to Hotels Combined let you find the best price across multiple online booking agents, including Aussie favourite, booking.com. They cost you nothing to use and they keep our site free for you to use.

Despite the incredibly small number of Crocodile incidents in Port Douglas, the area itself is immensely beautiful. There are plenty of gorgeous beaches for relaxing and there are also a great deal of restaurants in the area. It is still an excellent spot to vacation, and you’ll find that you won’t soon run out of fun things to do.

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